HCC, Consumer Affairs on expired goods

THE Honiara City Council health division together with the Consumer Affairs division within the Ministry of Commerce, Industry, Labour and Immigration says the task in ensuring shops do sell unexpired goods in the city is ongoing.

This was in response to concerns raised to the Solomon Star this week by members of the public on the daunting concern on the rise of expired goods being sold in shops within the Honiara city.

According to the health division of HCC, a check on all goods has been done as of last month and will still be continuing.

However it was a challenge due to limited personals to carry out the inspection on all products in every shop in town, but the team will carry on the tasks in the coming weeks.

“Factors contributing to the issue is :

Shop owners sometimes tend to hide goods which are about to expire during inspections and sell them afterwards.

They change expiry date on products on their own and sell them with fake dates.

Some shops get rid of the expired goods, but locals collect them and then resell them with cheaper prices.

“The Health Division urged the public to check on products before purchasing them and should come forward and report it to the health office if encountering such problems,” a statement from the health division stated.

It added, this would make it much easier for the officers to go directly to the shop concerned.

All shop owners are advised to comply and cooperate with the Health division and dispose any products that are expired.

Speaking to the Solomon Star yesterday, Director of Consumer and Price Control Geoffrey Dan Ho’oua said his officers are currently conducting checks within the shops in Honiara.

“The issue with expired good in the country is seasonal.

“My officers are doing ongoing weekly checks in shops within the city. Last week, we did checks on some shops at White River in west Honiara.

“Again, our job was to act on issues to protect all consumers in the country,” Mr Ho’oua said.

He further stated that, they are working closely with the HCC health division, and the Ministry of Health and Medical Services to tackle the sales of expired goods at an ongoing pace.